Sliding-door fastener.



W. F. HACKNEY. SLIDING DOOR FASTENER. AYPLIGATION FILED NOV. 23, 1909.

2 SHEETS-SHIIET 1.

61 item COLUMBIA PLANOURAPH cu., WASHINGTON. D. c. I

Patented July 11, 1911 W. F. HACKNEY. SLIDING DOOR FASTENER. APPLICATIONFILED NOV. 23, 1909.

Patented July 11, 1911.

2 SHEETS-SHBBT 2.

7 A gy/ WILLIAM F. HACKNEY, OF WASHINGTON, KANSAS ASSIGNOR OF ONE-HALFTO EDGAR BENNETT, OF WASHINGTON, KANSAS.

SLIDING-DOOR FASTENER.

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, WILLIAM F. HACK- NEY, a citizen of the UnitedStates, residing at Washington, in the county of Washington and State ofKansas, have invented new and useful Improvements in Sliding-DoorFasteners, of which the following is a specificationv The inventionrelates to an improvement in sliding door fasteners, being moreparticularly directed to locking and supporting mechanisms whereby thedoor may be secured in open or closed position and con veniently movedlongitudinally or swung outwardly from the door opening.

The main object of the present invention is the provision of lockingmechanism in the use of which the door is clamped tightly in positionand conveniently fastened against unauthorized unlocking, the supportingmechanism being adjustable relative to the car proper to provide forcorrecting door sagging, being at the same time adapted to permit thelateral swinging of the lower end of the door to secure variousadvantageous results.

ihe invention in its perferred details of construction will be describedin the following specification, reference being had particularly to theaccompanying drawings, in which Figure 1 is a perspective of theimproved door and mechanism therefor. Fig. 2 is a vertical section takenthrough one of the uprights, the upper portion of the upright beingbroken away to show the upper edge of the door. Fig. 3 is aperspectiveview of the keeper bracket. Fig. 4c is a perspective view of the lockinglever.

Referring particularly to the accompanying drawings the improved door 1will, aside from the details hereinafter noted, be constructed in anypreferred or usual manner, being designed to close the usual opening inthe side 2 of the car. Slightly beyond the opposing positions of thedoor, when opened and closed, there is secured to the car side what Iterm uprights 3 and 4, the former being arranged adjacent one edge ofthe door opening and the latter remote from the Specification of LettersPatent.

Application filed November 23, 1909.

Patented July 11, 1911.

Serial No. 529,647.

opposing edge or side opening, said uprights forming the limit ofmovement of the door in both directions. The upper ends of the uprightsare reduced in thickness, providing comparatively narrow extensions 5,and above the upper ends of each upright there is secured to the car anangle bracket 6 in the forward projection 7 of which there is threaded apivot pin 8. On each of the pins is mounted a track supporting bolt 9formed at the upper end with an eye 10 to permit the passage of thepivot pin and below said eye to provide a threaded shank 11 designed forengagement with a threaded opening in the track bar 12. The track bar ispreferably in the form of a rectangular strip, and of such length thatthe ends thereof fit movably between the proximate surfaces of thereduced portions of the uprights, as clearly shown in Fig. 5 of thedrawings.

The door proper is provided on its upper edge with a bracket plate 13extending the full width of the door and project-ing above the upperedge thereof. Mounted on the plate above the upper edge of the door areupper and lower guide rollers 14 and 15, preferably arranged in verticalspaced pairs to receive the track 12 between them. The rollers arepreferably flanged on their inner ends, the plate serving as the forwardguide for the track, and vas the upper rollers sup port the weight ofthe door, they are preferably of greater diameter than the lowerrollers.

At the lower end of each upright 3 and 4 is a keeper housing 16,preferably a hollow metallic body having laterally projecting flanges 17whereby it may be secured in place. Within the housing is mounted akeeper roller 18 preferably of the full width of the housing.Immediately adjacent the edge of the door opening opposing the upright 3is arranged an auxiliary or addi' tional keeper housing 19 similar tothose previously described. Mounted in brackets 20 secured to theforward surface and adjacent the side edges of the door is a lockinglever or rod 21. This rod is preferably constructed of a single lengthof material centrally bent to provide a depending handle portion 22, theends of the rod being projected beyond the bracket and curved to formlocking hooks 23 conforming to the curvature of the keeper rolls 18. Thehandle and hooks are so disposed with relation to each other that whenthe handle is arranged in contact with the surface of the door be lowthe main length of the rod the hooks will be in position to engagebeneath the keeper rollers.

Secured upon the forward surface of the door below the locking rod andin line with the handle portion thereof is what I term a keeper bracket24: comprising a plate-like section formed with an opening 25 wherebythe bracket may be secured in place and provided below the opening withforwardly projecting spaced parallel flanges 26 and 27. Said keeperbracket is secured in such position that when the handle 22 has beenoperated to move the rod to locking posit-ion said handle will restbetween the flanges 26 and 27 of the bracket.

In Fig. 7 I have illustrated a. locking lever comprising an L-shapedmember 28 having one arm thereof terminally provided with a weight 29.The opposing arm is terminally formed to provide a pivot pintle 30 andbe yond said pintle with a rectangular portion 31, being reduced beyondthe rectangular portion to provide a secondary pintle 32. Therectangular portion 31 is centrally formed with a seal receiving opening33, all as clearly shown in Fig. 7. The flange 26 of the keeper bracketis formed with an opening 34 corresponding in diameter to the diameterof the pint-1e 30 while the flange 27 is formed with a rectangularopening 39 corresponding in dimensions to'the rectangular portion 31 ofthe locking lever. It will be noted that the rectangular portion 31 ofthe locking lever is of greater width than thickness, and that thiswidth is at right angles to the arms of the lever carrying the weight.Furthermore, the opening 35 in the flange 27 of the keeper bracket hasits major dimension extending vertically or parallel to the proximatesurface of the car door, whereby it will be seen that it is impossibleto introduce the locking lever through the opening 35 except by holdingthe weighted arm thereof in a position at right angles to the surface ofthe door. The locking lever is preferably connected through the mediumof a chain 36 with a staple secured in the door whereby the lever is ina position convenient for use at all times. Immediately above the mainkeeper bracket there is secured to the door a second keeper bracket 37corresponding to the main bracket and de signed to receive the handlewhen the locking rod is in unlocked posit-ion, said second keeperbracket being formed similarly to the first mentioned keeper bracket forthe reception of the locking lever.

In use, when it is desired to lock the door in closed position, the dooris moved to close the door opening and the locking rod operated to causethe hooks 23 thereof to engage the keeper rollers in the casing 16 ofthe upright 3 and in the casing 19. lVith the rod in locking positionthe handle 22 rests between the flange of the main keeper bracket andthe locking lever is then inserted to secure the handle in suchposition. As previously described the insertion of the locking lever isonly possible when the weighted arm thereof is arranged at right anglesto the surface of the door, in which position the dmensions of therectangular portion 31 of said lever are so arranged as to permit thepassage of said portion. through the opening 35. hen the lever hasbeen'moved so as to dispose the rectangular portion 31 between theflanges 26 and 27 the pintles 30 and 32 rest in the openings 34 and 35,so that upon release of the weighted end of the lever the latter willdrop to arrange the rectangular portion 31 across the opening 35 topermit withdrawal of the lever. A seal of any approved type is securedin the opening 33 preventing any unauthorized unlocking of the door. Thedoor may be locked in open position by an identical operation, the hooksof the operating rod coiiperating with the keeper casing of the upright4L and the casing 19.

By the connection of the track it is obvious that the lower end of thedoor may be swung laterally from the car body with perfect freedom, thetrack following such movement by reason of its mounting on the pivotpins 8. Furthermore in the event of an improper fitting of a sagging ofthe door it may be readily corrected by adjusting the track on the bolts9. The lateral swinging of the door and its convenient sliding in anyposition relative to the car body is a decided advantage in that itpermits such manipulation of the door in the opening thereof as to avoidbinding obstructions within the car, cleats or loose boards on the uppersurface of the car, it'will also permit the door to be swung up in aposit-ion to provide a roof or cover for loading material into the carfor hauling or the like during inclement weather.

The door surfaceas well as the locking mechanism may be readily appliedto other than car structures, being adapted for example for storagecompartments of any character.

Having thus described the invention, what I claim as new, is V In a cardoor fastener, the combination of a locking rod rotatably mounted inkeepers attached to the door, of an operating handle formed at thecenter and continuous with said locking rod, of keeper brackets mountedabove and below said locking rod to admit the retention of saidoperating handle, a locking lever provided with a rectangular portionwhich exerts a cam action on said handle, and a weighted arm integralwith said locking lever to gravitate it to its 10 locked position afterinsertion into said keeper brackets.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

WILLIAM F. HACKNEY. Witnesses:

ANGUS D. MCLEOD, GEORGE A. WRIGHT.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressingthe Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. G.

